communicate :: collaborate :: commemorate

I must have been good recently. Not a single day this week without new stuff. Some vendors are getting smart. After all, I write about stuff that I like. This smart charger for instance.

Two years ago I got a Sanctuary. I initially liked it, but then it failed to work and we returned it. This Belkin Conserve Valet does seem to work just fine, and with a twist:

You connect your devices, push the green button, and it starts to charge them. When the devices are full, the charger shuts itself off. Off off. No standby power. It can charge up to four devices with 500 mA each, which is a bit weak, but it does have this "green" benefit. You can wrap around excess wire under the hood, which takes care of cable mess. And last but not least, it's very cheap. Just found it on Amazon.de for less than 20€. On Amazon.com it's still $40.

I see more "green" products from Belkin in my future. It's their new stick.

Kevin, I attribute that more to "idiot buyer syndrome". I read both the user guide and supported devices linked from the product page. Take your time to look at the supported devices page to see how particular devices are. It specifically list devices that people complain about as not compatible.

The supported devices documentation does not mention Nokia devices. My tests show that it does charge Nokia MicroUSB-chargeable phones with the included Belkin cable but not the Nokia one, just like the newer BlackBerrys. This is the same behavior you will see when you try an Apple USB charger with the original cables supplied by RIM or Nokia. When you use the Belkin cables, it does work as well.

Bought it per your recommendation, very nice. However, it won't charge my Sony HDR-CX130 camcorder. Charging it works with a dedicated USB power plug. Apparently, the camcorder needs more current on the USB plug than provided by the Valet to use it for battery charging.